Michael Herzig

The Press

"It's The Goodbye Johnnys!" says Faster and
Louder
There are few things in life that I love more than '77 style punk
rock. So when I hear '77 punk done well, I'm always a happy camper!
On that note, I offer my ringing endorsement of the latest album
from The Goodbye Johnnys out of Zürich, Switzerland. It's called
Disaster Control, and it was originally released on vinyl
in 2015. Just last week, the band made it available as a free
download via Bandcamp.
It's the kind of record I can never get enough of: slamming
three-chord punk rock built on a love for The Ramones, Clash,
Johnny Thunders, and (especially) The Saints. I dig the songs, I
dig the energy, I dig the sound. And no track is longer than two
minutes and 46 seconds! While it's easy to pick out the influences,
The Goodbye Johnnys are not doing a straight copy of any of those
bands. How refreshing it is to hear a band that knows the
difference between a Ramones influence and a Ramones imitation!
These fellas do what more bands ought to do: revisit a classic
musical style yet still make it sound vital and exciting in the
year 2016. If, like me, you're wild about first wave punk, check
out Disaster Control. You can't deny that the price is
right! (20.01.2016)http://fasterandlouderblog.blogspot.ch/2016/01/its-goodbye-johnnys.html

"The shadow of the original Saints" says
i94bar!
The shadow of the original Saints looms large in most places where
people give a toss about punk rock but Switzerland seems the most
unlikely. Think Switzerland and banks, cuckoo clocks and expensive
chocolate spring to mind before "Nights in Venice" but then you've
probably never heard of The Goodbye Johnnys. The Goodbye Johnnys
are named after a Gun Club song and hail from Zurich but Petrie
Terrace, Brisbane, (circa 1976) is their spiritual home. Their LP
sounds a lot like the early Saints with less sonic leakage and a
few rough edges filed off. The Saints were a unique collision of
rock and roll roots ('50s and '60s) music, downstrokes, attitude
and youthful ennui. The Goodbye Johnnys are too old for much of
that and couldn't be expected to replicate it. What they do well is
churn out chunky and uncomplicated songs that will appeal to old
school punks and people who wish they were. There's more
underground music in Switzerland than you might think and the
country's geographical location and commercial nature invites
outside influences. So it is with The Goodbye Johnnys whose
background tells a tale. Expat Scot and sometime Australian and
London resident Crawford Smith vocalises and plays guitar. Bassist
Michael Hertz is a crime novelist who's worked in drug harm
direction. Drummer Peter Baldinger used to play in an Alex Harvey
tribute band among a hundred others. Second guitarist Manual Kobel
is a newish addition. "Disaster Control" has 10 songs and they're
musical enough to avoid being lumped in with the output of all
those anonymous second wave UK punk bands. As you might expect of
guys who have been around the block a few times, The Goodbye
Johnnys can play.
There are no surprises on "Disaster Control" but there are some
good songs. Opener "Pay For The Crime" sets the pace with "London
Nights" and "Year Of The Zombie" other stand-outs. Production is a
bit sterile with Smith's vocals right up front so you won't need a
lyric sheet.It's an LP but The Goodbye Johnnys have a Bandcamp where you can listen before buying
(name your own price) and your choices are vinyl or a
download.http://www.i94bar.com/albums/disaster-control-the-goodbye-johnnys-self-released